Switch mechanism



March 4, 193.0. (3,- H, HART 1,749,283

SWITCH MECHANISM Filed April 29. 1927 WMV/7191731" Patented Mar. 4, 1930 N UNITED sra'ri-:s

GEORGE HGEMAN HART, F WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT swI'rcn MECHANISM yimputation mea prix 2s, 19am serial No. 187,594.

This invention relates to an electric switch having onev or more mercury tubes.^

The aim of the invention is to provide a switch mechanism of this sort having various i features of novelt and advantage.

More particular y, an aim of the invention v is to provide an improved form and 'arrangement ofyparts wherein flexible wires leading l to the electrodes'or terminals of the mercury tube or; tubes, together with the disadvan-v tages vincident to such wires, are' eliminated.

f Another object of the invention is to pro'- vide aneicient and durable switch mecha nism which is composed-of relatively few 1 parts, lwhich is ineirpensive to manufacture,

which is simple to assemble and disassemble,v

v which is rugged in construction, and which is positive in'its operation. e l Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail herein- -after. `The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated. in the appended claims. In the accompanying'drawings, wherein l have shown, for illustrative purposes, one lof the embodiments which the present invention may take, it being understood that this disclosure is-by way of illustration only:

, F gure 1 1s a vertical sectional view'taken through the switch. mechanism, this view being taken substantially on line l-Jl of Fig'. 'i

Fig. 2 is a sectional view takensubstantia'lly on line 2-2 of Fig. 3; Y

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view aken substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 an l i 4 isa horizontal sectional view taken substantially one line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

lgnates a casing or base preferably formed of insulating material and of any suitable construction. Secured to the forward face of -this base is the usual bridge or supporting plate 11 anda flush plate 12. In yrthe present ,Referring to the drawings inV detail, 10 desillustrative disclosure, there aire mounted .within this casing two mercury tubes, it being evident, however, that the switch mechanism may have more or less than two such tubes, depending on the use or'application of the 55 mechanism. Each of these tubes has a tube or envelope 13`provided'with two dependin wells 14 into which extend the upper ends 0 electrodes l5, these electrodes being suitably sealed in the bottom wall of the tube. Each of the tubes is carried by a pivoted retainer or support l18 formed of suitable insulating material, such asv bakel/ite. The upper ends of these retainers are -grooved, vas illustrated, so as 'to accommodate the tubes and, by prefer- 65' ence, there are in-terposed between the retainers and the tubes strips of felt 19 for the purpose of cushioning the tubes.1 The retainers have vertical openings through which the electrodes are adapted to extend, as shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. The retainers are pivoted on a common axis for tilting movement underr the influence of an operating lever 20, and to .this end each of the retainersis provided at each side with a bearin'g stud" 21., These Istuds are preferably formed of insulating material and may be made integrally with the retainers. In the present instance, the studs are shown'as being made separately from Ithe retainers and as being fitted in openings in the sides of the retainers.

The electrodes` cf each tube are respectivelyn connected to contact members 22 and 23. In the present instance, the contact member 22 85 Vis electricallyconnected to the foremost electrode and extends upwardly along the `inner side of the retainer. It has an opening through which `one ofthe projections 21 eX-r tends. The othercontact member 23 is elec-v trically. connected to the rear electrode, extends upwardly along the outer side of the retainer'and has an opening through which the other of the pivots or projections 21 extends. These contact members are preferably formed of sheet metal and are carried by" and are-movable with the retainers.

Each of the retainers is pivotally supported by, and has its contact members 22 and 23, 106 resptively in electrical connection with,

conductors and 26. The conductors 25 are preferably formed of spring metal and are respectively connected to contact posts 27,

these posts being located in grooves 28 in the v aligned openings 34 in -which the outer or extreme projections or pivots 21 of the retainers are adapted to Ihave abearing. n The inner .faces of the bosses 33 engage against the Contact members l23. The conductors 25 have, adjacentttheir lower ends, openings through which the opposed projections 21 extend, and these conductors are in frictional engagement with the ycontacts 22. The c onductors 25, as stated, are preferably of spring metal, and when the partsvare assembled, these conductors reslliently engage the respective L retainers and urge the same towards 'the respective conductors 26. Supplemental to the spring pressure' of the conductors 25 is a coiled spring 35 having its opposite ends respectively surrounding the opposed projec tions 21. Interposed between the `ends of'this spring. and the conductors 25 are insulating washers 36. In order to insure proper alignment pf the mercury tubesand operationl of lthese tubes in unison. one of the retainers, in

the present instance the left hand one, carries a pair of transversely extending pins or rods 40. The right hand ends of these rods have a close sliding lit in openings 41 in the other retainer.

Any suitable-means maj7 be employed for rocking the mercury'tubes in order to make and break the circuits. but 'by way of example. I have shown the 'lever- 20. This le ver is pivoted or Ajournalled on a tongue 44 formed integrallyi'vith the bridge v11.y The ylever is provided with a tang 46 having sliding engagement in a tube 4T which is journalled on studs 48 carriedby the' supports 18 adjacent their forward ends. Aboutthe tang 46 4and engaging the tube 47 is a spring 49 forthrowing the mercuryswitches from one position to another with a snap movement after the dead center is passed. -`Thelever also has projections 50 for limiting the ex- ,tent of movement of the lever.

From the foregoing description. taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings,

it will be seen that the mercury tubes are supported by the Vconductors and the termina-ls of. the tubes are electrically connected to these conductors by `iixedcontacts. The use of Hex-y ible wires leading to the terminals orjelectrodes is avoided. The improved switch has a, very long life and has other advantages as heretofore pointed out.

As many changescould be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended thatfall matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and'not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intendedto cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope Aof the invention which. as a matter of language, might be said j to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a switch mechanism. a base, a pair of sheet metal'conductors fixed thereto and have ing aligned openings, a support pivoted between said conductors and having studs eX- tending into said openings, one of said studs having a bearing in one of said openings, a mercury tube on said support and havin depending electrodes extending therethrougii at a distance from saidstuds, 'a sheet metal' `contact connected to one of said electrodes the tube thereon and frictionally engaging the respective conductors,fsaid contacts havingopenings registering with the openingsf in saidsupports and projections carried by said supports and engaging in the openings ofsaldfconductors and contacts, and' means for operating said supports 1n unison, one of 'said supports carrying a transverse rod and the other of said supports` having an opening slidably receiving said rod.-

3. In a switch mechanism, a base, two

pairs of conductors having` aligned openings,

aesupport pivoted between the -conductors of each pair, a merpury tube carried by each support," a pair of contacts carried" by eachV support and frictionally engaging the respective conductors. 'said suports having projectionsen'gaging in said openings, and a spring between the two in* er conductors and pressing the same towards the outer conductors.

GEORGE HEGEMAN HART. 

